GARISSA, Kenya- A suspected improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in Fafi Sub‑County early Monday morning, injuring three officers who were part of a security team en route from Hagadera Police Station when their vehicle struck the device.
According to an incident report obtained by Y News, the explosion occurred at approximately 0633 hrs near Harbole area, about 4 kilometres northwest of the operations camp, as a team led by a senior officer was searching for water on board a water bowser.
The vehicle, a bowser marked GKB 950U, driven by a police driver, was severely damaged in the blast.
Three officers on board sustained serious injuries, including head, spinal, chest and back trauma.
They were rescued by reinforcements travelling in an armoured vehicle and taken to a nearby dispensary as first responders awaited their airlift to Nairobi for specialised treatment.
The injured officers were identified in the incident report as:
- Anthony Kungu, who suffered head, shoulder injuries and had breathing difficulties;
- Ezekiel Murunga, the driver, with injuries to the neck, chest, head and back;
- Pius Chumba, with head and spinal injuries.
Security sources said a Mobile Response and Protection Unit (MRAP) vehicle responded swiftly to extract the injured officers from the explosion site and provided protection amid the ongoing probe.
IEDs have long been a security threat in northeastern Kenya, particularly in border counties where the Somali militant group Al‑Shabaab has been implicated in similar attacks against security forces and patrols in the past.
Previous explosions in Garissa County have targeted patrol vehicles and convoys, causing casualties among officers and underscoring the persistent risk posed by militant activity in the region.
In August 2025, for example, an IED blast along a road in Fafi injured eight police officers.
Another blast in late 2025 on a road between Kulan and Liboi claimed the lives of two border patrol officers and left others wounded.
Authorities have not yet publicly attributed Tuesday’s explosion to a specific group or claimed responsibility.
Anti‑Terror Police Unit (ATPU) Dadaab is handling the investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the blast, including whether the device was planted in a calculated ambush targeting security personnel.
